Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad

By: Jamie Hensley, modified by Viki Stumbers Serves 8-12

This was served at the 2011 Thanksgiving meal. 

Ingredients

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced red onion
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar

(NOTE:  THIS IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT—if you don’t have this, GET IT, it MAKES THE SALAD . . . or use 1 tablespoon white vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead . . .but be warned that the salad WON’T BE AS GOOD)

• 1/2 cup good olive oil

Salad

• 6 slices bacon
• 8 ounces crumbled cheese (blue cheese or goat cheese are fantastic for this salad)
• ½ medium red onion (or more to taste)
• 2 bags baby spinach, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup mandarin oranges, drained (optional)
• 3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered (walnut or pecan halves work well here too)
• ½ cup pine nuts (optional)
• cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Prepare dressing:  
1. Roast sesame seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Mince 2 teaspoons red onion and add to medium bowl; reserve remaining onion for salad.  To minced onion add poppy seeds, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, vinegars, olive oil and cooled sesame seeds.  Whisk to combine thoroughly; store in tightly-closed container in refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours (overnight is best). *The dressing won’t taste anywhere near as good as the finished product if you don’t give it at least an hour to sit.
2. Prepare salad:
1. Fry bacon until crisp; drain, crumble and set aside.
2. Roast almonds and pine nuts in small dry skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Thinly slice ½ or more of remaining red onion (depending on how much you like red onion).
4. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the cooled bacon, crumbled cheese, sliced onion, cranberries, mandarin oranges (optional) and toasted nuts, reserving 1-2 tablespoons of each to top salad.  Toss well but DO NOT ADD DRESSING.  Chill salad and reserved ingredients until 15 minutes before serving.
3. 15 minutes before serving, bring salad, dressing and topping ingredients to room temperature.
4. Just before serving, ensure dressing container is sealed well and shake vigorously to recombine.  Add ½ of the dressing to the salad and toss well; add additional dressing to taste and toss again.
5. After last toss, sprinkle top of salad with reserved salad ingredients and freshly-ground black pepper; serve and prepare to bask in numerous compliments.  

In the spring or summer, substitute 1 quart sliced fresh strawberries for the cranberries.  AWESOME!